Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil dispute timeline of McCabe/Tusla events

A new row has broken out between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil - over when the Government found out about Tusla's role in the Maurice McCabe affair.

Micheal Martin claims his party told the Tánaiste about Tusla's role on Wednesday, 24 hours before it first emerged in the media.

But Frances Fitzgerald has again tonight insisted she was not told of Tusla's role, in the meeting with Fianna Fáil's Jim O'Callaghan on Wednesday night.

The Tanaiste insists she only learned of Tusla's role in the scandal in media reports 24 hours later - despite being aware of a meeting between McCabe and the Children's Minister Katherine Zappone two weeks earlier.